Page 153 of The Blackened Blade

Or was this another one of its games, wanting to heal me and lull me into some sense of security before shredding me up like noodles?

I try to move away but the beast growls again, this time nuzzling at my arms, its black and white-tipped fur ticklish against my skin as it shifts closer to me.

Its eyes meet mine again and my breath catches in my throat, something small tugging deep inside me. These eyes weren’t the eyes of some animal or wild beast. They had a depth to them, an intelligence of a higher level, and an anger and anguish I would recognize with ease.

I reach my hand toward its face, and this time it doesn’t stop me. I brush my fingers through its fur; the feeling soft and warm against my hands.

A noise vibrates from its chest, not a snarl or a growl, more like a chuffing noise.

My hand reaches above its jaw and its eyes slowly close. A small breath leaving its lips with my touch.

Suddenly the beast begins to tremble and shake, its figure convulsing above me as my eyes flicker back and forth between its head and body as it changes.

What was happening, why–

My thoughts are cut off as its body begins to shrink, its arms and legs slowly shifting from the huge beasts shape into something else.

This was a transformation I’d seen before…by shifters.

Themurderous beastwas a shifter?! But I’d never seen or heard of something so big and powerful being a shifter before.

My eyes flicker to the body forming above me…a verynakedbody. They trail up his toned legs to hisverylarge…package…I move quickly up to his torso and the tight six pack there before trailing up the muscular arms sitting to each side of my head. And that's when we meet. Two grey-blue eyes.

A very familiar pair of grey-blue eyes.

Mallyn’s.

His face is now fully visible and not hidden by a hood. His white hair shines almost silver above me, his skin almost a porcelain shade as his eyes swirl with hues of grey and bright blue. But it's his face that captures the air from my lungs.

It's a face that could rival even Creed’s modelesque features. But where Creed had a classic Grecian God kind of beauty, Mallyn’s looks were a mix of light and dark, of soft and sculpted. Looking at him was like seeing a Fallen Angel. Something truly breath-taking and untouchable.

He sits above me, his eyes glued to me with my hand still cupping his cheek.

I move to take it back, when he suddenly shifts forward, leaning further into my palm with his eyes never leaving mine.

A strange look pulls at his features as he gazes at me, his eyes slightly widening before they soften almost just as instantly. His mouth parts, “Micai, I–”

“Micai!”

“Red!”

Ezra and Annex’s voices echo out behind us with their footsteps following soon after.

“Mic–” Ezra's voice cuts off, his shoes now at my eye level before he moves to help Mallyn up off me.

“What are you–” Shouts Annex as he comes up beside them. “Oh.”

Ezra tells Annex to give Mallyn his jacket to wrap around him, while he takes off his own. He pulls me up toward him and wraps his teal shirt around me.

I meet his turquoise eyes, a shaky sigh falling from his lips as he pulls me closer and leans his forehead against mine.

“Never again, Micai. Never do that to me again.” He kisses the tip of my nose as his hands slide around my waist, a slight tremor in his fingers as he pulls me into his bare torso. “Don't ever do something so dangerous again, and don’t ever leave without me. I’ll always follow you, no matter where.” He pulls back, his eyes narrowing, “Lead the way…but don’t ever leave me behind again.”

Annex wraps an arm around Ezra, his eyes meeting mine in a mock glare before grinning.

“I told you she was my kind of crazy.” He places his hand on my cheek, brushing his rough fingers along my skin before his grin fades into a more serious look. “But Ez is right.This…” He gestures between us all. “This isn’t negotiable. We go where you go and vice versa, Red. Never leave us behind again.” His gaze softens slightly as a warm smile stretches his lips, “It's too late to run from us…you’re ours now.”

Ezra nods as a grey-blue pair of eyes gleam behind him. A strange look forming on Mallyn’s face as he takes a step closer to us.

---